by Carol Roi
"I know how you're feeling, but not what you're thinking."
Damn, she hasn't lost the touch, even after all these centuries, she can still ferret out a person's inner-most feelings. "The truth? I want to grab a few bottles and quietly crawl into a hole and hide for fifty years or so."
"Why?"
"So I don't have to worry about getting challenged. I've got a nice little estancia in Argentina I can hide out in."
"Running away isn't the answer, you know that."
"Yeah." I finally turn to face her. I've been avoiding that probing gaze of hers all this time. "I know, but that doesn't stop me from thinking about it. I can't hide, not with Jan-Michel as my new student." Not to mention the fucking rogue Immortal who tried to kill me. Twice.
She reaches out to me, her hand coming to rest on my shoulder. "Lia, I know how deep the pain can run, but you have a purpose to keep you going. Use the time to train Jan, then when you send him on his way, if you still want my help…"
I smile tentatively, accepting her offer. I sip at the bottle in my hand, realizing I'm starting to feel the effects of the alcohol on my system.
Dee interrupts my thoughts, "Let's try something, Lee."
"What?"
"Trust me. Close your eyes. Good. Now, tell me where every Immortal is in the room - not including yourself or me."
This is stupid. I feel like an idiot. Wait a minute…. "Meth--Adam's over that way." I wave my hand towards where I think the buzz I know as his is coming from. "And Jan's… Oh, crap." I snap my eyes open to see my Watcher stalking through the crowd towards us.
"What is it, Lee?" Dee's hand clenches on my shoulder.
"Jan. He's coming back, and I think he's pissed." I point at the man then turn back to my friend. "Uh, you might want to leave."
She's spotted him, and is already moving around the circular booth to slip out on the other end. "I'm just going to visit the loo, and maybe find Blair. As soon as Megan and Ellison show up, we can order our food."
She brushes by a clearly steaming LaFollet, then I'm alone with him as he slides into the booth beside me, forcing me to move deeper into the circle. "Jan? Didn't the meeting go well?"
"You lied to me, Lee. Why?"
"About what?"
"Your reasons for taking on the QuestScape contract yourself. I let you come ahead, catching the rental at Sea-Tac alone. You used that time to contact Diandra and asked her to take your head."
Sandburg, you are a walking dead man. He must have told the older Watcher about my conversation in the church, in front of Jan-Michel. "You don't have to worry about me, Jan. I've changed my mind."
"Only because you have a new student, right? What if that hadn't happened, what then?"
"What's with the third degree?"
Jan raises his hand, as if to touch me, then drops it. "I care about you, Lee. You and Azir were like a family to me. You're all I have left. I want to tell you…"
"There you two are!" I look up, startled to see Ellison and Connor walking up to the table. I look at my watch and smile back at Jim, who had called out.
"Right on time!" Yes, I don't want to continue the conversation with Jan-Michel. I know if I do, there is a chance I'll slip up and say something about the Immortal who cornered me at QuestScape. "Shag out of those jacks of yours and sit a spell. Dee and Blair should be back soon."
"'Scuse me." Jan gets up and leaves the table in what I can only call a 'huff.'
"What's got his knickers in a knot?" Connor asks as she slips out of her coat, draping it across the back of the bench seat on the other side of the table.
"He's a little upset with me."
"A little? Hate to see him in a real snit." The inspector sits down, and I feel the seat beside me drop down a little bit as Ellison slides into the booth.
"Lee? Got a question for you."
"Cop question or personal?" I pick up the green bottle and sip it, not really trying to hide the smile on my face.
Jim shakes his head in amusement. "Cop. For now."
I carefully place the bottle back on the coaster. "Darn. Okay, shoot."
"Just how did you get out of QuestScape without running into the security guard?"
Good thing I had studied the floor plans of my target. "Stairwell. Came out behind some potted trees in the lobby. Used the exit on the east side. Satisfied?" Jim seems lost in thought, so I look over to Connor who's nodding in agreement with me.
"I am. Jim?"
"Yeah, that's what we thought. So, any of you order dinner yet? Connor here has a stomach that has been grumbling loud enough to wake the dead for the past half hour or so." He manages to duck the extra coaster the inspector throws at him.
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Dinner goes as well as could be expected for a group of people which had a few friends and a few unknown factors in it. Adam joined us at the table after Jim Ellison and Megan Connor showed up, so the table was quite full. From one end of the circular bench to the other it lined up like this, Blair, Diandra, Jim, myself, Megan, Adam and then Jan-Michel. After eating his half rack order of ribs, my Watcher/Bodyguard/Student excuses himself from the table and I watch in dismay as he makes his way to the bar and orders shot after shot of amber colored liquor. Good thing I switched from the cider to iced tea - one of us has to remain sober for the trip back to Cascade. Adam must have seen my concern, for after I watch LaFollet down his fourth glass of what I guess to be scotch, my Teacher leaves the table and approaches my student.
"Angel? Care to help me show the folks here how to really dance?" Dee merely smiles, clasping Blair's hand in hers, and they slip out of the booth and onto the dance floor. Watching them brings a smile to my face. Poetry in motion doesn't even begin to describe how well they move together. Graceful, fluid, and yet so full of energy that just observing them tells me how much they enjoy dancing, music and each other.
"You may have to drive yourself home, Lee." I didn't see Adam rejoin us at the table.
"I noticed, Adam. Thanks." I raise my glass to indicate Jan's actions are one of the reasons I had changed to drinking tea.
"Good. Now, what are you doing still sitting there? I can see you want to dance, so get out there." He waves a hand towards the dance floor and the couples who are moving there.
"I'm not…"
"Horse shit. I know you, remember?" I had managed to explain to Jim and Megan I had met Adam Pierson in New York, while in college, that he had been my student advisor. "Besides, maybe I want the chance to get to know this lovely creature beside me a little more." Putting action to motion, Adam slides into the seat next to Megan, who smiles faintly and scoots over to give him more room.
"Lee? Shall we take Adam up on his advice and dance?" Looking up to see pale blue eyes twinkling in humor, I nod. Taking Jim's hand into my own, we slide out of the booth and move towards the hardwood dance floor.
The music changes just as we touch the edge of the floor, from a dance tune with a fast, primal, beat to one that is a little more sedate and intimate. I nearly freeze in my tracks as I recognize the song, 'Till Then', by the Vagabonds, but with a subtle tug I find myself on the floor, held in Jim's arms.
As the song goes on, I find myself relaxing, actually leaning into Jim and placing my head against his broad chest. His heart beneath my ear is pulsing out in its own counter-beat to the song. We dance through at least two more songs and are just about to leave the floor when the next song over the speakers catches my attention. Looking over my shoulder, I see Jim has stopped on the edge of the dance floor. He slowly raises his hand in invitation. I feel the blush rising on my face. Is he serious? He quirks a smile at me and raises his eyebrow, as if daring me to join him for this dance. There is a trick to making this particular dance truly passionate. I cross my arms over my chest and turn, as if in a huff, ignoring the invitation of my suitor. His approach is silent, his hand warm on my shoulder and I turn to face him.
The Tang
o. Done right, it's a very passionate dance. Done well, it's been known to cause audiences watching it to actually experience elevated blood pressure, and even a few orgasms. At least, that's the rumor. Jim must have learned the dance as a young man, and managed to keep the skills, for I'm soon lost in the role that is required of the female dancer. Before I know it, I'm on the floor, my arms wrapped around Jim's leg to keep him from leaving me. The dance is over and we're greeted with applause. Embarrassed, I let Jim take my hands, bringing me to my feet, and we leave the floor.
Before we even make it back to the table, Jim stops and pulls me closer to him. Without a word spoken between us, we kiss, the perfect ending for such a dance. The crowd greets our action with more applause, and even a few wolf-whistles. Breaking off the kiss, we finally make our way to the table. Adam and Diandra nod sagely, as if in approval of my actions with Jim. Blair and Megan are another matter. Neither of them seems too happy, and LaFollet hasn't returned from his spot at the bar.
Picking up my tea, I drain what is left in the glass and turn to my dance partner. "Jim? I'll be right back." Rising up on my toes, I place a chaste kiss on his cheek then turn away from the table. I walk across the bar, intent on not only visiting the lady's room, but confronting my errant student as well.
As I pass Jan-Michel at the end of the bar, I notice the older Watcher, Joe Dawson, is watching my moves and just how much his fellow Watcher is drinking. While I had been on the dance floor with Jim, Jan changed his drinks from simple shots to Boiler Makers. Stopping behind him, I lean against his shoulder and whisper harshly in his ear. "Follow me. Now." I don't even wait to see if he does as I told him to, just march off down the hall towards the bathrooms and an exit door.
Bypassing the bathroom, I push open the backdoor and step out into the cold night air. A few seconds later, my student follows me. The door closes behind him and I launch my attack. "What in the hell are you doing, Jan?"
"That should be obvious, even to you, Lee."
"Yeah, it is. You're drunk. Why?" He doesn't answer me. Hell, he's not even looking at me, but staring off into the distance. "You know, being Immortal doesn't mean you won't get a damn hangover. You've never drank while you considered yourself 'on duty,' which you are by the way, and yet…"
"So fire me. I can always find another job." Finally, he looks at me, but I wish he hadn't. The venom in his hazel eyes is hard to take, let alone understand.
"I can't fire you. I'm your damn Teacher!"
"I'll find another."
"No, you won't. The first Immortal you meet will just challenge you and separate your inexperienced head from your shoulders."
"Fine. Then I'll be dead and you can do whatever the hell it is you want to really do. Maybe even follow Azir."
My anger at my student flares and I backhand him before I know what I'm doing. I watch in horrid fascination as he crumples to the cold wet ground like a boneless doll. "Damn." I bend down to check on him and find I somehow managed to knock him out. "I should just leave you right there, but I won't." Pulling open the door, I come face to face with Adam.
"Problem?"
I reach out to him, grabbing him by the arm and yanking my former Teacher into the night. "He's drunk. I hit him, and now he's out for the count."
Adam crouches next to Jan-Michel, and with the efficient motions of a fully trained medic, checks on my student's condition. "Let me guess, right back hand? You were always quick with that move."
"Shut up, Meeth. Just help me get him to the damn car. Please?" It galls me to have to ask anything of Methos. When we had parted ways we hadn't exactly left on the best possible terms. But he agrees to help me and between the two of us, we manage to get Jan-Michel over to the Lexus and piled into the passenger seat.
"Guess this means the party's over," Adam/Methos mutters as he closes the door to the SUV. "Tell me if it's none of my business, Eolia. You're interested in Ellison, aren't you?"
"You're right, it's none of your business, Old Man." We walk side-by-side back towards the door we came out of.
"You came to me to take your head. Now you have a student and have changed your mind. If Ellison is the reason you changed your mind…"
"Maybe. I'm not sure, Meeth."
He holds the door open for me and I slip back into the warmth of Joe's. "Whatever you do, Little One, be careful. Ellison isn't one of us -- he's mortal. Guard your heart."
I stand there, stupefied, as he walks away. Shaking off the thought Methos might still care for me, I quickly use the lavatory then join the others at the table. After explaining what became of my bodyguard and hearing Jim and Megan have to work in the morning, the gathering breaks up. The drive back to Cascade has me sandwiched between Diandra's Jeep and Ellison's old pickup. Thankfully, Jan-Michel becomes somewhat coherent when we arrived at the Excelsior and Jim doesn't have to help me get my very inebriated Watcher back to his room. Before I can walk around to the passenger side of the car to help LaFollet out, Clarence Milton is there. Waving to the others, I walk into the hotel, holding doors open for C as he literally carries my bodyguard to his bed and dumps him into it.
"I'll be out in the hall until about 4 A.M., Lee. Then Sharee will take the watch."
"You don't have to do that, C…"
"Yes, we do. Jan's going to hate himself enough in the morning, and we don't fly back to New York until after noon, so Sharee and I will be fine." The large Native American is pulling LaFollet's shoes and socks off as he talks then tosses the comforter over the oblivious man. "Go on, go get some rest yourself. I'll stay in here with him for a little while."
Nodding my compliance, I leave Jan-Michel's room through the connecting door and enter my own suite. It's after eleven, and I'm beat. I strip out of my clothes and crawl between the warm sheets of my bed, as my thoughts return to the long minutes I spent in Jim's arms on the dance floor. The warmth I feel flooding my body has nothing to do with the bed clothing and I drift off to sleep, content in the idea I've made the right choice. I'm going to stay around until Jan-Michel is trained, and to see if there is a chance I can fall in love with a mortal for the seventh time in my life.
Part 16
Blair followed Jim into Major Crimes Monday morning. "Hey, Hairboy! Long time, no see! I thought you were going to Hawaii over the holidays."
Dropping his backpack next to Jim's desk and shrugging out of his jacket, he replied, "Friday morning, H, Friday morning. Nothing but palm trees, sandy beaches and the most beautiful woman in the world. In other words, heaven." He flashed the big detective a toothy grin, then turned to his partner. "What's on the agenda this morning, Jim?"
Ellison was just about to answer him when Simon appeared in the doorway to his office. "Ellison, don't bother taking your coat off. You and I have a meeting with the PA's office on the Gleason case." The tall man crossed the bullpen toward them. "You can ride with me, Jim."
"Uh, yes, sir. What about the Ventriss thing? I was planning on spending some time on that today."
"Connor's working on it." His gaze shifted to Sandburg. "Blair, why don't you give her a hand? You didn't work the Gleason case, so the PA doesn't need to speak with you."
"Um, sure, Simon, uh, sir. Whatever you say. Catch you later this afternoon, Jim?"
"I'll try and make it back for lunch," Jim said over his shoulder as he followed Banks out of the room.
Hanging up his coat, Blair dug his laptop out of his backpack and set it on Jim's desk, along with a notebook and a pen. Once he was ready to get to work, he walked over to Megan's desk and gazed down at the inspector. "Simon said I'm to help you out on the Ventriss thing. I read over the preliminary reports Jim brought home Saturday morning, but I haven't seen the ones from the attempt on Lee's life Saturday, or the forensic reports."
Megan tapped a stack of folders piled at the front of her desk. "There they are. Those include the reports on the interviews Jim and I did yesterday. I'm still waiting on the forensic team's report on what they found outside QuestScape."
"Outside QuestScape?"
"Yeah, Sandy. Didn't Jim tell you we went over there yesterday? We found some interesting evidence, which may or may not have anything to do with the case. Jim found a hair caught in a tree branch, and I found the remains of what Jim thinks is a sabot slug, or rubber bullet."
Blair managed to keep his expression neutral, knowing the hair was probably his. "No, Jim didn't mention it. Of course, we didn't actually spend much time talking about the case last night."
Megan gave him a blinding smile. "So I noticed. Both of you seemed rather more interested in your female companions. I expected that of you, but Jim? What's up with him and Lee Eolia?"
Shrugging, Blair tried to keep his tone casual. "I don't know. We haven't really discussed it. I mean, where's the harm in it if Lee isn't a suspect?"
